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Press Release
REVOLUTIONARY NEW "ECIS" INSTRUMENT OFFERS REAL TIME MONITORING OF CELL BEHAVIOR FOR UNDER $20K

May 5, 2004

Applied BioPhysics Inc. introduces a new small form factor automated instrument to monitor cell behavior. Using standard tissue culture methods and media, one can electrically monitor cell morphological changes continuously and in real time. The system can simultaneously follow up to 16 independent culture wells. Applications include measurements of cell-integrin interactions, signal transduction, in vitro toxicology metastatic potential, cell motility, proliferation, and migration.

Features:

  • Non-invasive
  • Real time
  • Continuous
  • Quantitative
  • Multiple measurements
  • Automated
  • Uses standard tissue culture and media
  • Does not require fluorescent or radio-labeled materials

ECIS is being used to monitor cell-ECM interactions and readily measures the dynamics of cell spreading and proliferation. Another growing application is monitoring metastatic cell extravasion through endothelial cell layers. As the metastatic cells invade the endothelial monolayer, they break down the layer’s barrier function resulting in large drops in impedance.

The ECIS system can also be used to monitor the binding of agonists to GPCR’s. Regardless of the second messenger involved, most signal transduction cascades ultimately result in changes in intracellular calcium ion concentrations, and this in turn alters cell morphology – readily detected with the ECIS instrumentation.